October 2014 News
This is the October 201411ya edition of the Gwern.net newsletter; previously, September.
This is a collation of links and summary of major changes, overlapping with Changelog. Thanks to my donors on Gratipay.
Writings
QS:
Redshift self-experiment: screen-reddening software shifts bedtime forward by 20 minutes
LLLT re-analysis: no change in sleep as hypothesized by another LLLT user
analysis of sceaduwe’s spirulina/
allergies self-experiment (no reduction in allergies)
Media
Links
Genetics:
Everything Is Heritable:
Engineering:
- ["Growth, efficiency, and yield of commercial broilers from 1957, 1978, and 2005"](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4988556/), Zuidhof et al 2014 ([media](https://www.vox.com/xpress/2014/10/2/6875031/chickens-breeding-farming-boilers-giant "Chickens have gotten ridiculously large since the 1950s")) - ["Korea's Sooam Biotech Is the World's First Animal Cloning Factory"](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-10-22/koreas-sooam-biotech-is-the-worlds-first-animal-cloning-factory)
Politics/
“The Hollow Men II: Some reflections on Westminster and Whitehall dysfunction”, Dominic Cummings
“In Front of Your Nose”, 1946
“Nothing in Moderation” (Worth remembering in discussions of the Middle East that even in the USA, the masses are deeply illiberal, pro-statist, against rights, and extremist.)
“An Examination of Stereotype Threat Effects on Girls’ Mathematics Performance”, et al2013
Statistics/
“In half of the [placebo-controlled] studies, the results provide evidence against continued use of the investigated surgical procedures.” (media)
“How often does it happen that the oldest person alive dies?”
“Is long-term calorie restriction in humans worth it?” (preliminary CALERIE results)
“learnfun & playfun: A general technique for automating NES games” (paper)
How often does correlation=causality?
“Randomized versus historical controls for clinical trials”, et al1982
“The Adequacy of Comparison Group Designs for Evaluations of Employment-Related Programs”, 1987
“Choosing between randomized and non-randomized studies: a systematic review”, et al1998
“A systematic review of comparisons of effect sizes derived from randomized and non-randomized studies”, Macet al2000
“Randomisation to protect against selection bias in healthcare trials (Cochrane Methodology Review)”, Odgaard-et al2011
“A weight of evidence approach to causal inference”, Swaen & van 2009 (circular reasoning & how not to do causal inference)
Psychology/
“Deliberate practice: Is that all it takes to become an expert?”, et al2014
“Decision Making Following a Prenatal Diagnosis of Down Syndrome: An Integrative Review”, et al2012 (connection to embryo selection)
“The Acquired Immune System: A Vantage from Beneath”, 2004 (immune systems as parasites)
The Pursuit of Noninvasive Glucose Blood Tests: “Hunting the Deceitful Turkey”, John Smith
Technology:
“Spacewar: Fanatic Life and Symbolic Death Among the Computer Bums”
“Why Johnny Can’t Encrypt: A Usability Evaluation of PGP 5.0”
“Carding Forums, Ponzi Schemes and Law Enforcement: A background on Evolution Marketplace”, by the_avid
“Fusion Power by Magnetic Confinement Program Plan”, 1976/
1998
Economics:
“The Industrial Revolution: Past and Future” (Lucas on the Great Divergence, economic growth, the Asian miracles, and redistributionism.)
“Of Frightened Horses and Autonomous Vehicles: Tort Law and its Assimilation of Innovations”, 2012
“Beware the Middleman: Empirical Analysis of Bitcoin-Exchange Risk”, 2013 (see also the followup et al2016)
“Love, luck and destiny: the world according to a Mumbai matriarch”
“Nowhere is safe in EVE Online as Goonswarm suicide-bombs galactic trade hub” (shades of Eurisko)
“Google’s Lost Social Network” (exit, voice, and loyalty)
Obsolete occupations: breaker boy, crossing sweeper, dog whipper
Philosophy:
Books
Nonfiction:
Double Entry: How the Merchants of Venice Created Modern Finance, Gleeson-2012 (review)
Fascinating Mathematical People, ed 2011 (review)
Fiction:
Film/TV
Anime:
Music
Touhou:
“恋色マスタースパーク (Love-Colored Master Spark)” (霧雨 魔理沙; Charisma Lash Type-M {C86}) [orchestral]
“感情の摩天楼 ～ Cosmic Mind” (聖 白蓮; Charisma Lash Type-M {C86}) [orchestral]
“少女さとり ～3rd eye” (古明地 さとり; Charisma Lash Type-M {C86}) [orchestral]
“百鬼夏祭” (狐の工作室; 夏風の音 {C86}) [acoustic/
jazz?] “天空を駆ける風の都” (狐の工作室; 夏風の音 {C86}) [acoustic]
“Skydiver” (Babbe feat. kuroTenshi; SUNSHINE EP {2014-08-16}) [house]
“Beat of Summer” (Babbe feat. Kasuka; SUNSHINE EP {2014-08-16}) [house]
“月光跡” (柊秀雪 feat. Atori; MT22 {C86}) [Rock]
“An cailin ar an tine” (Escarmew; MT22 {C86}) [Celtic]
“Fires of Hokkai” (Jun.A; Cradle2 {C77}) [electronic]
Doujin:
“The Strong Peanuts” (Takahiro Eguchi + Tomohiko Togashi; ‘AD:HOUSE 3’ {C86}) [instrumental]
“Sajou” (doriko feat. Hanatan; PRIMROSE FLOWER VOICE {201312ya}) [rock]
“ロリババアに恋をした” (HoneyWorks feat. Sana; Suki na Hito. {C86}) [Jpop]
“清恋 ～ベルティネの夜の夢～” (Drop feat. 葉月ゆら; Eclipse Parade {C86}) [Jpop]
Vocaloid:
“NICE MATCHING!” (miki; M@SATOSHI; 銀杏色D-i-s-k {VM23}) [electronic]
“shallow moon” (Rin; 曼荼羅P; selbstmord {201411ya}) [vocal]
“チョコレートサンデー” (Miku; 空海月; MIKUHOP LP {201411ya}) [Hip-hop]
“Yokkora sex” (96Neko; memoReal {201213ya}) [rock]